“Dark Ale aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels from local wineries. It is aged for 4 to 8 months with black currants, brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediococcus added to each barrel. Rich flavors of chocolate truffle, spice, tobacco, currants, and a bit of Cabernet. Very full-bodied, sip slowly!”

Glassware: Teku.

Appearance: Kind of burnished copper with a deep amber tint. It forms a short head which quickly settles to a halo. Thin wavy lace as we imbibe.

Aroma: Stunning. At its core is that really manky and sweaty lacto sourness. A bit of red wine vinegar and cheese cave to ram it home. The Cab Sauv barrels provide lovely albeit subtle tannins, old damp oak and dark berries/cherry/currants. A delicate earthy-ness happening too…tobacco and truffle (as stated in the brewers description) is spot on.

Flavour: Yep, this is phenomenal. It kicks off with a fairly intense sourness but it’s pulled in to line by the old damp oak and earthy tannins. Then the juicy red berries and black currants come in to the fold and morph in to a residual sherbet-like sweetness. Very complex finish of oak, earthy tannin, berries and musty barnyard.

Mouthfeel: Balance is perfect. It’s almost chewy, full bodied with the acidity cutting through like butter. Flat-ish Co2 but it works.

Overall: Brilliant drop. Our new favourite out of their much coveted ‘ation’ series. But we have left the (potentially) best til last so we’ll see how that stacks up in the coming weeks.